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I’ve heard lots of folks say they’d rather avoid Hawaii because it’s such a tourist trap. Guess what, people, it’s touristy for a reason!
Hawaii has some of the most staggering natural beauty of anywhere I’ve seen with my own eyes. And the no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card comes with a sign-up bonus that can fly you and a travel buddy there for practically free (even if you live on the East Coast!).
I’ll show you how I’d squeeze ~$1,500 in value from the Ink Business Unlimited welcome offer. And how you can do it, too!
2 Round-Trip Tickets to Hawaii From 1 No Annual Fee Credit Card Bonus
Apply Here: Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
Review: Our Review of the Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
The Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card is a no-annual-fee card that earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase. You can qualify for it whether your small business is your main job, side hustle, or new business. I don’t have the Ink Business Unlimited at the moment, but I plan to apply after I open a couple other Chase cards I have a stronger desire for.
Currently, the card comes with a $500 cash bonus (or 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. But you can get oodles more than just $500 in value from this card’s bonus! And make monumental memories while you’re at it.
But, there’s a catch…
To get more than $500 in value from the bonus, you’ll also need either the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred card. These cards give you the ability to transfer the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the Ink Business Unlimited to valuable travel partners!
EVERYONE in the miles & points hobby should have at least one of those cards, anyway. There are no exceptions. Then, once you’ve earned the sign-up bonus with the Ink Business Unlimited, you can transfer them to one of Chase’s most valuable partners, Korean Air. And you’ll be on your way to a tropical escape in Hawaii!
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Korean Air for Big Travel
Korean Air is an airline partner of Delta. So you can book Delta flights with Korean Air miles! Plus, there are some fun quirks you can use with Korean Air to get even more value from your points.
Flights to Hawaii are a ridiculous sweet spot with Korean Air miles. As long as you’re flying on Delta, you can book a round-trip flight for just 25,000 miles in coach!
Last year, I transferred 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air for an open-jaw flight to Hawaii from the Midwest. An open-jaw flight means you fly to one location but fly home from another.
In this case, I booked a coach flight from Cincinnati to Maui, and then back home from Oahu to Cincinnati.
I had to buy my one-way flight between Maui and Oahu for ~$70. But it was definitely worth it to experience 2 Hawaiian islands!
Korean Air also gives you the option to schedule a stopover, both on the way to your destination and on the way home. So if there’s somewhere along your route that you’d like to visit, you can do it for FREE.
I scheduled a stopover in San Francisco and spent a day and a half exploring the city.
How Much Value Would I Receive From the Ink Business Unlimited Sign-Up Bonus?
There are TONS of amazing ways to use the Ink Business Unlimited sign-up bonus for travel. But this Korean Air sweet spot to Hawaii is just SO GOOD!
A round-trip flight to Hawaii from my home airport easily costs $750+, but only 25,000 Korean Air miles round-trip. So by transferring the bonus I earn from the Ink Business Unlimited to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I’ll have enough points for 2 round-trip flights to Hawaii!
Doing this will give me ~$1,500 in value from the Ink Business Unlimited welcome bonus. That’s TRIPLE the value I’d receive if I redeemed the bonus for cash.
Because I’ve already been to Oahu and Maui, I’d use the Chase Ultimate Rewards points I earn to visit Kauai this time. I’ve heard from a handful of people that it’s the most beautiful island.
Check out this post if you want to know how exactly to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for flights to Hawaii!
Bottom Line
The no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited card currently comes with a $500 bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements. However, when you transfer the bonus to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, that $500 becomes 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points!
You can use 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for luxury stays at Hyatt hotels, or for flights to fun cities in the continental US and below the border. But I would use the points for 2 round-trip coach flights to Hawaii from the Midwest. I’d receive ~$1,500 in value by using the bonus that way, instead of just $500 if I redeemed them for cash.
How do you plan to spend the Ink Business Unlimited sign-up bonus?